Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers: “Jonathan Sings!” (1983/2022) CD Review

This is a good time for Jonathan Richman fans, for many of his albums are finally getting re-issued, some of them on vinyl. The 1983 album Jonathan Sings! is going to be released on vinyl as part of the Black Friday Record Store Day (in a limited edition of 3,000 copies), and on CD a week later. The lineup of the Modern Lovers changed over the years, and at the point of this record’s initial release included Ken Forfia on keyboards, Michael Guardabascio on drums, and Greg Keranen on bass, with Beth Harrington and Ellie Marshall on backing vocals. And now is a time when we need Jonathan Richman and the innocence and joy that his music often conveys. One thing I’ve always loved about his music is that there is a sense of humor about it, and yet it is delivered in earnest. There is no one else who delivers a lyric quite like Jonathan Richman does. All of the songs on this album were written by Jonathan Richman. 

The album opens with “That Summer Feeling,” and, indeed, this song has a warm vibe with that relaxed sense of summer. Interestingly, the backing vocalists get this one going, unusual for a Jonathan Richman album. They repeat the song’s title a few times before Jonathan comes in. “When you run for love/Not because you oughta/When you trust your friends/With no reason, nada/This joy I have named/Shall not be tamed.” But maybe the most unusual line is the song’s main line, “That summer feeling is gonna haunt you the rest of your life.” An interesting choice of words there, “haunt,” which generally carries a negative or disturbing connotation. This is an excellent song. It is followed by “This Kind Of Music.” Jonathan Richman begins this one a cappella, with the backing vocalists soon joining him to echo “Shake ‘em,” a delightful moment. Seconds later, the band kicks in. This track is a lot of fun. “This kind of music is the kind I like.” Oh yes. This track has plenty of lines that will make you smile, if not laugh, such as “That saxophone is worse than the last one he had.”

The backing vocalists are really integral to the music on this album, and “The Neighbors” is delivered as a duet, with female vocals coming in first, and Jonathan then responding. “I don’t want to let the neighbors run my life.” This track has a good, delicious groove. Then in “Somebody To Hold Me,” the backing vocalists respond and comment on Jonathan’s lines. If you’ve heard some of Jonathan Richman’s music before, then you know he sometimes mentions his own name in his lyrics. Well, in this song, it is the backing vocalists who do, and there is something totally adorable about their delivery of that line, “Jonathan, what’s happening?” Soon this one kicks in, like a classic rock and roll number for a section. This song is sweet and wonderful, about how having someone to hold him has brought a great change to his life. “She holds me and it feels real good/I got somebody to hold me/Well, she holds me and it’s warm and all/I got somebody to hold me/Well, I still get sad, but it ain’t like before.”

If you get the album on vinyl, the first side concludes with “Those Conga Drums.” With a title like that, you might expect a strong rhythm, and you won’t be disappointed. This one has a 1960s vibe, in the rhythm and that guitar work. It is another delightful number. The line “At first that sound seemed kinda dumb” caught me off guard and made me laugh out loud, but soon Jonathan is on board with the sound: “That’s when the conga drums spoke to me/(Those conga drums)/I was kinda poor, I didn’t have much choice/It was just those drums and the human voice.” I am having flashbacks to drum circles. We’ve all taken part in those, haven’t we? On the beach, in the park, and of course in the parking lot before a concert. I love this track. Well, let’s face it, I love all these tracks.

Somehow “Stop This Car” is even more fun. Something magical happens whenever Jonathan sings about a car or driving. Think “Roadrunner.” Think “Dodge Veg-O-Matic.” Here is a taste of the lyrics: “I’m not going to wait until we land in the brook/And have all the little fishies swim by and take a look/Now they’re all laughing at us with the little brook trout/Stop this car, I’m getting out.” The backing vocalists are hilarious on this track. And it is over all too soon. That’s followed by “Not Yet Three,” a mellower number. This unusual and wonderful song is from a baby’s perspective. I love that Jonathan Richman uses the word “yonder,” like every baby does. Check out these lines:  “Well, yonder the sun has turned the town bright yellow/I love twilight more than you do, hello/You don’t love twilight as much as me/Why don’t you take the nap and let the baby be.”

Usually Jonathan Richman sings about places in New England, but in “Give Paris One More Chance” he sings the praises of Paris. “But if you don’t think Paris was made for love/Maybe your heart needs a telegram from up above.” Then “You’re The One For Me” is a strangely sweet and adorable song in which he tells the woman, “I’m saying, you never should have been born/Because now you’re the one for me/And if you didn’t want me following you around/You never should have showed up around my town.” And yes, I understand that in our current climate certain people will see this as creepy and dangerous, but those folks should please relax and just enjoy the song in the spirit it is offered. The album concludes with “When I’m Walking,” which has a spoken word introduction, and then features some wonderful guitar work. There is something loose about this song, like much of his material. He does that better than anyone, making a song feel like it was made up on the spot, in the moment. “And I do not walk for exercise/Nor to live among the wise/And I don’t want automotive help/Thanks, I’ll walk fine by myself.”

CD Track List

1. That Summer Feeling
2. This Kind Of Music
3. The Neighbors
4. Somebody To Hold Me
5. Those Conga Drums
6. Stop This Car
7. Not Yet Three
8. Give Paris One More Chance
9. You’re The One For Me
10. When I’m Walking

This re-issue of Jonathan Sings! is scheduled to be released on vinyl on November 25, 2022, and on CD on December 2, 2022, through Omnivore Recordings.